FAQ

Here we hope to answer some of the questions that you might have about Ada Lovelace Day. If your question isn’t answered here, please leave a comment!

Can I do something other than a blog post?
Yes! You can do a video post, a podcast episode, a web comic, newspaper column – anything you like, online or off. We just used ‘blog’ as a shorthand for all the above!

I’m a bloke. Can I take part?
Yes! Everyone is welcome to sign up to Ada Lovelace Day!

How can I get involved?
We need help promoting Ada Lovelace Day, so please let all your friends and colleagues know. If you are on any relevant mailing lists or groups, please let them know about the day and try to persuade them to sign up. If everyone who has signed up already gets just two other people to pledge, we might just meet our target!

Do you have any buttons, badges or banners that I can put on my website?
We’re working on them and hope to have them done soon.

Do you have any resources that I can use when i’m talking about Ada Lovelace Day?
We’re working on that right now!

Why are you asking for 3072 people to sign the pledge?
3072 is one of the standard lengths for an 8-bit encryption key. It just seemed like a nice number! In 2009 we got over 3500 people all together (via Pledgebank and Facebook) so 3072 seemed doable.

If you don’t get 3072 people to sign up, do I still have to write my post?
Supporting women in tech is an important act, so I hope you will choose to go ahead with your post even if we don’t meet our target.

Why do you ask people to pledge?
Like the good folks over at Pledgebank, we believe that acting together is better than acting alone. The pledge lets everyone see how many others are taking part and gives us a shared sense of responsibility for making Ada Lovelace Day a success. So sign the pledge too and be a part of it!

I’m away on 24th March 2010. Can I still take part?
Of course! If you have a blog, you should be able to schedule a post to publish itself on 24th. If you can’t, feel free to blog before hand and then add your post to your profile as soon as that functionality is enabled.

Can I blog in a language other than English?
Of course! Please write in whatever language(s) you like!

Do I have to publish my post during UK time?
No! One of the curious things I found out last year is that due to various dateline shenanigans it’s 24 March somewhere around the world for a grand 50 hours! Blog at your convenience in your own timezone.

What if I can’t think of a woman to write about?
First, have a think about the women you know or have heard of in tech/science. We’re not looking for everyone to write about superstars, just someone whom you admire. Perhaps it’s your colleague who does a really good job, or your mum, or a friend. If you stop and think for a while, we’re sure that somewhere in your past or present you’ll find a woman to write about on Ada Lovelace Day. And if you’re really stuck, we have a few ideas on a page that we’re writing right now and will get up online soon as we can.

Can I write about more than one woman?
If you like, yes! Lots of people did last year and as far as we’re concerned, the more women we celebrate, the better!

What do you mean by ‘in technology’ and ‘in science’?
We like to leave the interpretation of these words up to you, but we encourage everyone to be inclusive and to spread their nets wide. We’re not just looking at ninja coders and hardcore scientists, but women who contribute to their field. For example, some academics don’t code and don’t do science, but they think very hard about the way in which science and tech affect us and they have a deep understanding that the average mortal would be hard pressed to match. Although they aren’t making stuff, they still count. Same for journalists and consultants and designers and UX people and lab assistants and people who make tech that allows others to do science (now there’s a double-whammy!).

Does my woman in tech have to be alive?
Many people in 2009 wrote about women who are no longer with us, and many others wrote about women who are alive and kicking and contributing right now. We don’t mind: The choice is really up to you.

How does blogging help women in tech and science?
Women in tech and science tend to be less well known than their male counterparts despite their valuable contributions. The aim of Ada Lovelace Day is to focus on building female role models not just for girls and young women but also for those of us in tech who would like to feel that we are not alone in our endeavours. Psychologist Penelope Lockwood discovered that women need to see female role models more than men need to see male ones, so the idea of creating these role models is not just some airy-fairy idea, but based on a real need.

How did Ada Lovelace Day start?
For the answer to this question, you probably want to read the blog post that kicked it all off.